In this year’s edition, we have covered a wider set of trends than ever before – reflecting the complexity of contemporary digital marketing landscape as well as the growing expertise within our Marketing & Consumption group, both of which we find very exciting.
We are now really seeing the concrete influence of AI in social media, search and digital offerings alongside the ever-changing rules and features of online platforms keen to keep boosting engagement, both on daily basis but also for big moments (such as sport championships). However, consumers’ habits and preferences are shifting radically too (as is the world), as consumers are rethinking their relationship with technologies and calling for new approaches – or at the very least an adaptation of the established ones. The landscape is very complex, often lacking regulations and reflecting the global (political) trends, but as ever, there is also much to be excited about!
Edited by Ana Javornik.
What to look for in 2026:
Dark social: Are brands sliding into your DMs, too? By Rima Mlaiki
TikTok: For you, by…them? By Michelle Tjahjono
Digital mindfulness: When watching becomes a form of self-control. By Esther Kang
Seeking stability online? By Ana Javornik
The 2026 World Cup: An upcoming case study of digital sports marketing. By Jamie Wheaton
The changing search landscape. By Emma Slade
Offline-first approach to digital marketing? By Jonatan Sodergren
Dark social: Are brands sliding into your DMs, too?
Rima Mlaiki, PhD Student in Digital Marketing
If you spend 30 minutes on any social media platform, you will notice a significant lack of engagement on brand pages compared to previous years. For example, a decrease in likes, a decrease in comments and emptier feeds. At first glance, you might think that this is worrying, or a sign that social media’s popularity is declining. However, this is not the case. The reality is that most of the online interactions today have migrated to private spaces.
This concept is called ‘Dark Social’. If you are unfamiliar with this ominous term, Dark Social was originally coined in 2012 by Alexis Madrigal, and refers to the exchange of content through private social media channels such as Instagram DMs, WhatsApp Messages or Discord channels. In 2025, Dark Social has re-emerged as a trend with the rise of private brand communities on social media. It is expected to only become bigger in 2026, with leaders like Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, confirming that ‘the primary way people share, even photos and videos, is in DMs.’ (Adam Mosseri, Threads).
The introduction of new social media features such as Instagram and WhatsApp broadcast channels has facilitated this migration to private spaces for brands, helping them to casually slip into consumers’ direct messages. Many brands have leveraged on these features, creating private broadcast channels with the intention of connecting more deeply with their audiences. In these communities, brands are offering exclusive content to their members, limited brand offers, and unique VIP benefits. They are also using these spaces to interact with their devoted users and understand further what their active customers want through engaging polls and feedback messages. Many believe that these new features are more than just a design update, and in fact represent a shift in consumer behaviour. Consumers have turned to private spaces because they have become intimidated by public brand platforms. Whether it is due to unprompted online trolling or judgement from their friends, these private communities have offered them an alternative, safer space to interact with their favourite brands without concerns. This allows a genuine brand-consumer relationship to build and a real brand community to grow. There is no doubt that in 2026, we will be seeing more brands working in the dark.
TikTok: For you, by…them?
Michelle Tjahjono, PhD Student in Marketing and Consumption
As social commerce progressed globally, the line between content and commerce began blurring (WARC, 2025). In 2026, social commerce stops being a niche quirky add-on and becomes a mainstream shopping channel with discovery, engagement and purchase merging seamlessly in the all too familiar apps people already use – TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest. Industry forecasts global social commerce at nearly $3 trillion by 2026, according to Statista (2025), with the majority of social commerce users making purchases directly through social platforms this year.
TikTok shop, in particular, became one of the biggest drivers of social commerce, accounting for nearly 20 % of the social commerce market in 2025 and projected to exceed $20 billion in global sales in 2026 according to Lamb (2025). Consumers are discovering products organically through creators and trends – all with accessible links to the products they refer to in their storytelling. There couldn’t be a more convenient and entertaining way to shop even if it only results in a full basket left behind or watching a few unboxing videos or hauls. TikTok fosters the relationships formed on the app. It feels like an authentic way to discover new products. They can trust creators. But how much of this discovery is truly “by you”?
TikTok’s For you positions the algorithm as user-led, yet in 2026 AI and algorithms play centre stage shaping how these products are ranked and sold. The recommendation engine famous for predicting what users want to watch now does the same for what they want to buy using micro signals like viewing time, rewatches, comments and even scroll speed. As social commerce matures, a critical tension emerges: Are consumers discovering products by choice or are algorithms guiding us there?
Digital mindfulness: when watching becomes a form of self-control
Dr Esther Kang, Lecturer in Marketing
Online behaviour is shifting from passive consumption towards conscious engagement. Audiences are becoming increasingly aware of how digital content shapes emotions, attention, and behaviour. This trend, known as digital mindfulness, reflects a growing desire to use technology intentionally rather than habitually (Yosep et al., 2024). People are beginning to choose when, how, and why they engage with digital media, seeking balance and self-control instead of constant stimulation.
Conscious Consumption in the Food Media Space
Food-related digital content provides a vivid example of this shift. Once associated with indulgence and excess, online eating shows such as mukbangs are evolving into spaces that promote reflection and balance. Many creators now focus on portion awareness, mindful eating, and physical well-being. This change aligns with a broader movement towards conscious consumption, where visual engagement with food becomes a way to manage cravings rather than amplify them.Visual exposure to food can create vicarious satisfaction, allowing viewers to experience sensory pleasure without physical consumption (Spence, 2017). This insight offers new perspectives on how digital environments can foster healthier habits and support dietary self-regulation.
When Watching Reduces Wanting
In my recent research on digital food engagement, I found that individuals who actively suppress food cravings tend to spend more time viewing food-related clips. Interestingly, this behaviour can reduce rather than increase real food intake. The mechanism involves cross-modal satiation, a process in which visual stimuli evoke a sense of satisfaction similar to actual eating (Biswas & Szocs, 2019). Watching food content can temporarily fulfil the desire to eat, showing how digital engagement can shift from temptation to self-control.
Designing Mindful Digital Experiences
As digital mindfulness becomes more prominent, marketers and content creators face an important challenge: to design experiences that promote intention and awareness. The future of digital engagement will depend not only on attracting attention but also on using it responsibly. Content that encourages users to reflect, pause, and make deliberate choices may redefine what it means to connect online.
Seeking stability online?
Dr Ana Javornik, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing
A sense of uncertainty and growing risks – particularly in the Western world and Europe – is increasing. Not necessarily on the individual, but on a global, a more abstract level. There is a threat of the end of NATO as we know it and the geopolitical order is being rewritten; extreme weather events and climate change are a reality and one whose course is proving very hard to change (although some positive actions, such as renewable energy overtaking fossil fuels as the world’s main electricity source in 2025, are offering much needed hope!); the long-term effects of AI are unknown, but a change – for instance in relation to future jobs and employment – is certain; and those in power are continuing to bluntly cross the boundaries of what is acceptable, as seen in the recent scandal of Musk’s Grok AI allowing for inappropriate and abusive use of individuals’ images. These and other risks represent a new societal background against which digital consumer behaviour is shaping up in new ways. Prior marketing research suggests that macro trends can affect consumption in a specific way – globalisation offered numerous opportunities, but it also sparked a new desire in consumers to be more closely grounded and anchored in local communities and places (Eichinger et al., 2022). How are we going to see this emerging ‘global uncertainty’ translated into online consumer trends?
I believe that consumers (perhaps not all, but an increasing number) will be looking for more stability – and online trends will reflect that. Let me touch on a few.
First, on the individual level, consumers are embracing a ‘protective mode’ as they focus extensively on wellness and self-care – enter online content and digital tech. Online experts are weighing in heavily on supplements – this year nootropics are all the rage – and wellbeing-focused digital devices (often AI-enabled) such as apps, online therapists or wearables are growing (a recent hit are necklaces stimulating your vagus nerve to regulate your nervous system). We can expect a further expansion of digitalised mental health offerings designed to help consumers manage their willingness to restore an inner sense of peace.
Second, consumers are more likely to crave online content that seems real as another stability anchor. In that sense, flaws might even be seen to trump perfection and polish. It will be the genuine and raw online content that will succeed in engaging consumers (‘behind-the-scenes’ and not too polished – quirky is good!). Similarly, consumers are likely to become increasingly more comfortable with depicting the real self, even if that comes at the expense of social validation – brands might want to think carefully about how to tune into that and adapt their social media engagement and content accordingly. (Interestingly though, the true-to-self online depictions are contrasting with increasingly more artificial beauty trends, currently culminating in the politically-charged Mar-a-Lago look. Facial and bodily aesthetics have thus also become a playground for societal polarisation.)
Third, solace from the general turmoil will be sought in little joys, building on prior trends like treat culture, affordable luxury and pastry tourism, although it will differ from impulsive or self-indulgent hedonism of the past. Hedonic experiences that translate well on social media – such as food and travel – will continue to be particularly popular; marketers should thus pay attention to offerings that sit at the crossroads of mindful hedonism and social media. Escapism into virtual games and fantasy worlds will also stay strong, providing a space of detachment and an illusion of a different world.
Finally, while Gen Z and younger Millennials have typically been accused of political apathy and indifference, their agency and responses to a sense of global instability may be showing up in new ways. We can potentially expect online (and offline) boycotts of controversial brands and more online conversations evolving around these global changes – or at least coloured by current events.
One thing is certain – there is considerable turmoil happening in the world and online consumer behaviour will reflect that, with consumers either shielding themselves from it or taking a stance. In that sense, digital marketing strategies will have to move further away from a technology-for-technology-sake’s type of approach and focus more heavily on the broader societal shifts playing out in the digital space.
The 2026 World Cup: An upcoming case study of digital sports marketing
Dr Jamie Wheaton, Lecturer in Marketing
The 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup will be the biggest yet. Taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the tournament will expand from its previous 32-team format to 48 teams, therefore significantly increasing both the volume of matches and the potential for fan engagement. As with previous tournaments, the World Cup will be consumed by a vast global audience across a wide variety of channels. According to FIFA, five billion people engaged with the 2022 men’s World Cup across linear television, digital streaming platforms and social media.
Recognising the importance of digital channels, FIFA is now capitalising on the digital nature of fan engagement. It has recently announced TikTok as its Preferred Platform Partner, a partnership FIFA has described as “first-of-its-kind”. The partnership will create an immersive World Cup hub for football fans on the platform, as well as behind-the-scenes access for FIFA’s media partners and selected content creators.
This partnership reflects a broader trend in sports fan engagement, and highlights the importance of digital-first sports marketing strategies. As a result, we can expect a wide range of sectors to incorporate the World Cup as part of their digital marketing strategies. This will be particularly true of the tournament’s partners such as Coca-Cola, Visa, Unilever and Qatar Airways.
While the activation of sponsorships or partnerships in football may traditionally consist of brand logos placed on pitchside advertising hoardings, digital trends and the need to forge an authentic connection with audiences mean that sponsors are focusing on social media-led activation strategies. These approaches aim to take fans behind the scenes and bring them closer to the action. Unilever, for example, aims to “capitalize on the billions watching” by working with a large network of creators to bring audiences closer to the tournament through social media content. Research also suggests that virtual reality could play a role in helping audiences feel closer to sports events and their sponsors.
However, football-related content will not be limited to official sponsors. Content marketing strategies – which prioritise audience-relevant themes over direct product or service promotion – often draw on sports to engage audiences emotionally. The aim for brands is often to encourage engagement and sharing of their posts, and raise brand awareness.
For example, Domino’s Pizza UK’s recent humorous post about Manchester United’s recent performance in the FA Cup attracted significantly higher engagement than its standard promotional content. At the time of writing, the post had attracted 9,600 likes and 194,500 views on X, achieving a far higher level of engagement compared to Domino’s usual posts advertising pizza. Similarly, brands such as Specsavers have previously capitalised on major footballing successes, including celebrating the Lionesses victory during the 2025 women’s European Championships, to create shareable content. Recognising that sports can generate heightened engagement, we can expect brands to join the conversation about the 2026 World Cup as part of their digital marketing strategies.
With excitement surrounding 2026 men’s World Cup set to grow, FIFA embracing digital engagement, and both sponsors and non-sponsors alike using sporting events to engage audiences, social media users can expect to be immersed in a summer of football-related digital content.
The changing search landscape
Dr Emma Slade, Senior Lecturer in Marketing
A new year has arrived and many of us are busy trying to stick to resolutions and achieve personal goals. People begin searching for healthy recipes, gyms, and self-care after a season of indulgence or holidays as something to look forward to through the January blues. But have you noticed any changes in your search behaviour over the last few years?
The main reason for many for using the internet is to find information. To do this research we typically turned to search engines. We became accustomed to typing in a few key words to Google and sifting through the resultant search engine results pages (SERP), where websites jostled for top rank positions through Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or paid ads to drive more clicks and traffic. But with the arrival of GenAI voice assistants and chatbots people began to use a more conversational natural language style for intent-driven queries where they expect direct answers rather than a list of websites to browse. Even those of us still not default users of tools like ChatGPT and Claude are now experiencing GenAI in the products we’re familiar with; looking at you, Google AI Overviews. So, what does all this mean for digital marketers and SEO?
Getting a website on the first SERP through SEO or paid ads is no longer a surefire way to drive traffic as traditional click-through pathways are disrupted with zero-click searches on the rise. It’s also becoming apparent that ranking high in the SERPs doesn’t mean a website will appear in GenAI citations. The new challenge for digital marketers isn’t just about ranking first to be found, it’s about being part of the data that trains and informs GenAI results and being referenced in those responses. Along with SEO, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) are essential to get to grips with in 2026 to make content discoverable across an increasingly wide discovery ecosystem.
Offline-first approach to digital marketing?
Dr Jonatan Sodergren, Lecturer in Marketing
Reports of digital marketing’s demise may or may not be exaggerated – but in 2026, it is clearly at a crossroads. After years of being told to post more and feed the algorithm at all costs, brands are beginning to confront an uncomfortable reality: we’ve hit peak content. AI has made marketing faster, cheaper, and far more disposable – producing content that is louder, tackier and, frankly, easier to ignore. Instead of stretching attention spans ever thinner, many consumers are stepping away altogether. The result is widespread saturation with content that feels synthetic and a turn towards aesthetic forms that signal authenticity.
This is why one of the most significant “digital” marketing trends of 2026 might be a turn away from digital-first thinking. Brands are rediscovering the old playbook: out-of-home, experiential activations, events, and physical encounters that you cannot scroll past. The real-world moment comes first; content follows as the by-product rather than the brief. Drawing on my work on advertising aesthetics, brands are doubling down on sensory richness, atmosphere, and art-like qualities – creating experiences that feel meaningful and authentic. In a world saturated with AI-content, the brands that stand out in 2026 will do so by showing up offline with style and presence, letting their experiences speak for themselves rather than competing to be louder in the digital arena.
References:
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